Tag Archives: Stone

Getting the best out of a natural stone floor isn’t straight forward and we often get calls from customers who have come to the realisation they need help. An example of this being a lady from the village of Helsby who got in touch after her husband had given up following spending two days cleaning their Limestone tiled kitchen floor but actually making it worse.

Burnishing and Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Floor

On arrival the first step was to give the floor a general clean with a focus on cleaning the grout lines and removing any grit from the floor. I used a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline tile cleaning product that is safe to use on grout and stone. The cleaning solution was applied by sponge mop and left to soak for ten to twenty minutes before being scrubbed in along the grout line using a stiff narrow brush to get them really clean. Once done the floor was then rinsed with clean water and the now soiled cleaning solution removed with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to use a set of Tile Doctor burnishing pads to polish the stone back to a deep shine. The pads which are encrusted with industrial diamonds are applied with a rotary floor buffer in sequence from coarse to extra fine. The first pad has a Coarse 400 grit which is applied with only water for lubrication, removes minor scratches, sealers, and the top surface dirt. Working in small areas, I applied the pad across the Limestone, rinsing in between and picking up the soiled solution with a wet-vac machine. I then repeated this same procedure with the Medium 800 grit pad which is the first stage polishing pad again rinsing with water after use. The next two pads are a Fine 1500 grit and Extra Fine 3,000 grit which really build up a high-quality polish on the stone.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Floor

The floor was left to dry off fully overnight and I returned the next day to seal the Limestone first checking with a damp meter that the stone was dry. The customer wanted a natural look finish to the Limestone, so to seal the tiles I applied two coasts of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is an impregnating sealer doesn’t change the look of the stone in anyway. Ultra Seal is an impregnating sealer that works under the surface by occupying the pores in the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained.

Once the sealer had dried the floor was treated to a gentle buff with a white pad to bring up the shine even further. Once complete the stone looked a lot healthier and the grout looked much cleaner.

Although expensive Marble is a highly coveted, popular and classic flooring choice, not only is it hard wearing you can attain a high polish that simply looks fantastic. At peak condition, it’s one of the most beautiful and eye-catching types of stone available, however it’s appearance will degrade over time and with use, so it does need maintaining.

This customer, who lives in the small village of Willington in Cheshire had contacted us because they were concerned that the lustre on their Marble tiled floor which had been installed throughout much of the ground floor had faded and lost its attractive appearance. We arranged a date to go over and re-polish the floor back to health.

Burnishing and Cleaning a Marble Tiled Floor

On arrival the first step was to give the floor a general clean using a mild dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline tile cleaning product that is safe to use on Marble. I mention this because there are many cleaning products on the market today which are acidic and really only meant for use on Vinyl and Ceramic tiles. The cleaning solution was applied by sponge mop and left to soak for ten to twenty minutes with a particular focus on the grout lines. I used a stiff brush along the grout lines to get them really clean and then once done the floor was then rinsed with clean water and the now soiled cleaning solution removed with a wet vacuum. This process also has the added advantage of removing any grit from the floor which might cause scratching during the next stage which was to polish the floor.

The next step was to use a set of Tile Doctor burnishing pads to polish the stone back to a deep shine. The pads which are encrusted with industrial diamonds are applied with a rotary floor buffer in sequence from coarse to extra fine. The first pad has a Coarse 400 grit which is applied with only water for lubrication, removes minor scratches, sealers, and the top surface dirt. Working in small areas, I applied the pad across the Marble, rinsing in between and picking up the soiled solution with a wet-vac machine. I then repeated this same procedure with the Medium 800 grit pad which is the first stage polishing pad again rinsing with water after use. The next two pads are a Fine 1500 grit and Extra Fine 3,00 grit which really build up a high-quality polish on the stone.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Floor

The floor was left to dry off fully overnight and I returned the next day to seal the Marble first checking with a damp meter that the stone was dry. To seal the Marble tiles I applied two coasts of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained. Colour Grow also has the added advantage of enchasing the natural colours in the stone and in this case brought out the deep brown colours in the Marble.
Once the sealer had dried the floor was treated to a gentle buff with a white pad to bring up the shine even further.

Reviews

Testimonials

Excellent service throughout. In depth email reply explaining the process. Available on a day that was convenient to me. Reasonable quote in advance. Timely arrival. Professional attitude. Really pleased with the finished condition of the floor. Went the extra mile with finishing touches that I hadn't previously mentioned but were no bother to him. Had an issue with water leaving a mark on the sealant a few days later but Alastair came back within 24hrs and spent a couple of hours repairing it FOC. Really impressed and delighted by the service. Will definitely recommend and/or use again where possible. Many Thanks.Tom Lowcock, Chester18 May 2016

Hard working and has done a good job on a very old victorian floorGraham, Liverpool22 April 2016

Alistair Re-grouted, cleaned and re-sealed a Stone floor for us and has done an Excellent Job, he left everything clean and tidy and would definitely recommend him.John Mackie, Warrington18 April 2016

A very good job, Mr. Connor was delighted with the work.Mr Connor, Prescott12 April 2016

Very pleasant,hard working man. I am over the moon with the work done.Margaret Graham, Widnes 24 March 2016

Very professional attitude, talked through all the requirements and explained the process throughout. Very happy with the final results and finished off the look of the kitchen. Very Good Service.Guy, Delamere17 February 2016

We are very pleased with the results, Alastair was prompt and very efficient and we are happy to recommend.Norman Goldstone, Liverpool15 February 2016

Alastair was very courteous and thorough in his approach and has contacted me since the job was completed to check we are still contented with the work. He is a credit to your organisation.David Gaster, Lymm29 January 2016

We were both thrilled to bits with how nice the quarry tile kitchen floor looked, after being cleaned and sealed. Alastair was a pleasure to deal with and we would highly recommend him to anyone considering having their floor done.Rosanna Flood, Chester25 January 2016

Alastair was hard working, focused and most importantly did a great job on the floors. He was very punctual and worked tirelessly until the work was finished. I would recommend his services to others and will look to have him in again as an annual clean.Robert Dowd, Tarvin02 January 2016

We have just moved into our new home, what a please to open the front door to a lovely restored hall. Alastair did a fantastic job replacing, cleaning and sealing my Victorian hall, it really looks the Dogs Do Dars. Such a please to meet Alastair, nothing was to much for him.Debbie, Crewe23 November 2015

Al was extremely courteous and hard working on what turned out to be a longer job than expected. He completely re did part of the floor at my request and did not try to charge me although it was my fault. I think he is a credit to tile doctor and would happily recommend him to all. Many thanks al you've done a great job.Tim Griffiths, Crewe06 November 2015

Brilliant service, brilliant job. The tiles & grout are like a new. A great job and alastair is very socialable and obliging, its great to get someone does what they say. Thank You.Mr Taylor, Mere03 November 2015

Really pleased with how the tiles have turned out, they look great. Thanks You :-)Tim Ribby, St Helens02 November 2015

We had tried everything to clean and restore our sandstone tiles but nothing worked. Tile Doctor cleaned and sealed the tiles, now we are finally happy with the way they look. Tile Doctor did a great job, highly recommended. NicolaShawn Greasley , Tarporley02 October 2015